The Oregon coast offers beautiful views and an occasional picture perfect sun shiny day. Today was one of those days.
I packed hats, gloves, rain pants, spare clothes, winter jackets, hot chocolate, sunglasses, and rain jackets. We took the long way between the Willamette Valley and Waldport.
We stopped for a snack at Mill Creek Park in Alsea. There were fisherman and empty boat trailers everywhere. It turns out that the Steelhead fishing was hot. I filed this away for next weekend and we continued on our way.
Cape Perpetua is a must – see when driving the coast South from Yachats. It offers a trail system, visitor’s center, interpretive programs, and awesome views. Bring your inter-agency pass and settle in for the day.
A paved trail, including a tunnel under 101, leads from the visitor’s center to places with names like Devil’s churn and Thor’s well.
These tide pools offer far fewer treasures than the ones at Yaquina Head but, none the less, the kids were thrilled to find barnacles, anemones, and one small sea star. We spent at least two hours there but we could have spent much more.
We dragged the kids back to the visitor’s center with promises of Junior Ranger badges and a hot lunch.
As far as picnic locations go, we hit the jackpot. A mile or so South is a parking lot with sandy beach access. Neptune South.
The pictures don’t do it justice but I will leave them here for you to enjoy.
It had been a while since I had cooked beside the van. This was a good day to get back at it!
There was hardly a breath of wind. The stove was just where I had left it. The dry food was also where I had left it. It was fun to sort through and decide what to cook. I went with a rice dish with fresh fruit and Valentine’s Day candy on the side.
The kids were soaked and gladly changed in to dry clothes before dinner. HB took a rest up on the bed and Grace sat on the step to wash the sand off of her feet.
Even in mid-February, #vanlife was like riding a bike.
The day left me with a smile, a feeling of excitement, and also a bit of self-recognized impatience with the profoundly slow pace of our Sprinter camping conversion. I could have really used some additional storage today. With that being said, if additional storage never comes, a day with the Sprinter is still better than many other days!
Rambling Footsteps 